Elderly care home resident’s daughter from Conisbrough speaks out

As care homes across the district are threatened with closure the daughter of one resident in a Conisbrough old people’s home counts the human cost of the story.

Pauline Collins, whose 88-year-old father Leslie Booker has dementia and is a resident in Rowena House, said the politicians are failing to see the human side of their actions.

The 64-year-old, who said she could no longer look after her father full time since she injured her shoulder two years ago and his health had deteriorated, fears for his welfare.

She added: “If Rowena House closes what will happen to my father and other residents in there? We are talking about elderly and vulnerable people’s lives here. Politicians talk the talk, but their actions betray their empty words.”

Pauline, a member of the CareGate campaign group, formed last February to fight to save seven homes across Doncaster including Rowena House, further added: “The threat of closure has caused great distress to residents and relatives. Residents are in pieces over this. The council should look at other ways of keeping these homes open and making them work.”

She said the actions of the CareGate group had kept homes open she believed would otherwise have been closed as part of the council’s plan to save £109 million and said: “It’s imperative these homes stay open. The current staff do a fantastic job. If these homes close I’ll stage a sit in until the council changes its mind.”